People keep plunking down their coins for more old-school shooters on the Xbox Live Arcade, so Microsoft keeps signing deals to bring more of what the fans want. On the horizon is RayStorm HD, a glammed up remake of the PSX shooter RayStorm. The gameplay isn't being updated on this one, and when you get right down to it the graphics hardly are either. Suffice it to say, if you love RayStorm or top-down shooters, this is one you'll want to watch out for.
RayStorm began its life as an arcade game from Taito back in the mid-1990s. It soon found its way to consoles, with the most notable US release coming courtesy of Working Designs for the original PlayStation. The game met with generally positive praise though this isn't considered a timeless classic like some of the other shooters of its day.
This updated version doesn't claim to change anything but the visuals. Even those are merely spruced up versions of what you would have seen on the PSX. It looks rather bland by today's standards and it's quite clear even after just a little bit of play time that a lot more could have been done to earn the HD suffix that has so callously been applied.
But hey, the gameplay is advertised as unchanged, which is either good or bad depending upon your love or hatred of the original RayStorm. You'll fight across eight stages (it was always a brief game) with a few different types of G-RAY fighting planes at your disposal. There are several different weapons to choose from, with my favorite being the lock-on laser that allows you to paint a target across the enemy patterns as they appear and then watch the bullets fly and home in on your prey. Combos and point bonuses ensue.
This release of RayStorm includes both the original Arcade Mode and the Extra Mode, which was developed for consoles and helped to flesh out the story a little and made the game tougher.
